Open De France Preview | Golf Tips | SBK | Racing Post | The Sweet Spot

Welcome to the Sweet Spot, sponsored by SBK. Get the latest golf betting tips for the upcoming Open de France, as Dave Clark returns with Joe Champion stepping in to take a look at this week’s tournaments.

The team also reflects on last week’s action, looking back at Alex Noren’s second triumph at the BMW PGA Championship and Scottie Scheffler’s latest win at the Procore Championship.

Joe gives us his predictions for the Open de France, and some early thoughts on next week’s Ryder Cup.

🔊 Listen to The Sweet Spot Podcast here: https://audioboom.com/posts/8762169-danish-c-ship-bmw-c-ship-liv-indy-preview-golf-tips-sbk-racing-post-the-sweet-spot

00:00 – Intro
02:00 – BMW PGA Championship Review
07:35 – Procore Championship Review
14:05 – Open de France Preivew
37:30 – Ryder Cup thoughts
40:45 – Selection round up

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Welcome along to another episode of the sweet spot brought to you by the racing post sponsored by SBK. Now I’ve seen it mentioned in the comments. No Palmer, no party, but just hold your horses a moment cuz we’re in very good company. Know Steve this week. I think he’s away in a dark room somewhere preparing for the Rider Cup. But the champ is here. Joe Champion. Uh one of the finest betting brains on the golf. You can read him every week in the racing and football outlook. a very able deputy and he’s here with us. Joe, how are you? Oh, very good, thanks Dave. You’re you’re far too kind. And um as for Steve as well, I I don’t think he’s sitting in a dark room. I think he’s with the suits in uh in Lisbon um at the SBC summit playing darts. It’s how the other half live. He’s going going all the way to Lisbon to play a darts tournament with uh some of the marketing men. So um yeah, Steve’s having a great time, but um I’ve jumped in in hisstead, so hopefully we can find few winners this week. Well, I have spoken to him and he has told me that he is beavering away getting ready for the RDER Cup as well. So, how he’s finding time to to throw some arrows as well in Portugal in between that, I’m not sure. Uh, but what have we got for you this week? We’ve got two tournaments to look back on, of course. A very familiar name doing the business at the other side of the Atlantic. Once again, one tournament to preview and we’ll have a little bit of Ryder Cup chat as well. We’ve got to, it’s only next week, the Rider Cup. Uh, you are here of course here on the Racing Post YouTube channel. Do remember to like, comment, subscribe, get involved with us. Uh if you do follow Joe, let us know in the comments below. He has had more winners uh this season than you’ve had hot dinners. So, he’s a man in form. Uh so, get involved with us. Jump in the comments below. Of course, remember to jump on to our friends SBK, their website, betsbk.com. They’ve got a new customer offer for you. Bet 10, get £40 in free bets there. Terms conditions apply. It’s all on the website, 18 plus Gambleaware, of course. Uh should we just jump straight into it? Joe Tolton wants to to look back on start at Wentworth. Now this fell lovely on Sunday was watching the football switched over and they were like coming down the 18th and we’re going to a playoff as well. It was Alex Norin who got the job done here in a playoff Sadier again. Uh Jo, is there anyone out there do you think still backing Adrian Sadier? Uh I’m sure there will be. We’ll we’ll come on to the um this week’s tournament in a bit, but Adrian Sadier obviously he didn’t do a lot wrong, did he? Um on the back nine, he he really pushed Norin all the way. He made that Burnley part on 17. He then um hold one for about six foot to get into the playoff on the 18th. Um and then neither of them played the playoff particularly well. Their second shot, it bizarre. Yeah. Nightmarish stuff. They must have both been uh sort of head in hand as the balls were heading towards the the bunker on the left hand side of the little creek that runs down the 18. Um Norin just got a better lie, didn’t he? Managed to get up and down for his second win of the year and the second win in the last sort of three or four weeks having won the the British Masters at the Belfrey. Um I tipped him then. I I didn’t do the tips for the outlook. I can’t say whether I would have been on Norin this week. uh last week rather. Um but yeah, really solid, dependable player, Alex Norin. He obviously missed a huge chunk of the season on the PJ tour earlier this year. Then he came back um after injury. He’s been really solid and just a great sort of servant to the DP World Tour. I think it 12th win Dave, something around then. And there’s a bit of irony to it that on a week when everyone was talking about the uh the RDER Cup team being in action, one of the vice captains went and got the job done. Yeah. Second win at Wworth as well, of course, 2017. It is one of them tracks, isn’t it? But the same players just pop up over and over again. Yeah, it certainly is. I It’s a It’s a great golf course. Wentworth, the West Course really does separate kind of the uh the wheat from the chaff and Alex Noran class act. Um his 2017 win was a lot more dramatic. he sort of came from the clouds that year whereas this time around it really was sort of the two of them separating themselves from the pack going down the back nine and neither of them did a lot wrong as mentioned um Norin just I think he just got a bit like got a bit more lucky on the uh in the playoff hole didn’t he really yeah maybe I’m doing a disservice to to Sadi Hay there I just we’ve seen him blow these leads and you know he’s got himself into the playoff playing good golf but I just never fancied him to get the job Yeah, I know. He’s he’s getting closer, isn’t he? Um, you have to feel for him, but um you like what he saw like it was it would have been easy after the Irish Open the week before for him to have folded on on the closing holes at Wentworth and he didn’t do that. He did push Norin. Um ultimately it’s a game of inches and it just he didn’t get the breaks when it when it mattered for him. But um he’ll win eventually whether it’s this week or not. Don’t know. We’ll come on to that a bit later. But um yeah, good good performance from from Norin and straight onto the plane after that with the rest of the European team to go to Beth Page as well, wasn’t he? Indeed. Yeah. And the as Jud mentioned, bizarre scene of the playoff there. Uh ballsy perhaps, foolish perhaps. Let us know in the comments below what you made of it as they both pulled out the big dog trying to make it in two on 18. Uh right, other players then three clear the pair of them. Ry 16 under, Patrick Reed, they had Ferguson, Fit Shaw, Fitzpatrick, Hovland, Kim, anyone catch the eye behind Joe? Um, yeah, there were a few um one or two of whom we’ll talk about a bit later. Um, obviously from a Ryder Cup standpoint, Tier Hatton, I know Steve mentioned, uh, bit of a headache for Luke Donald on his form. He played well. Um, think that positives to take there from a European perspective. Um Aaron Ry every year he’s just going to come to Wentworth that metronomic style really well suited to a golf course where you’ve got to find fairways, you’ve got to find greens and regulation. I think um you know expect to see Aaron Ry sort of well well found in the market next time we’re at Wentworth. Um yeah, other than that I think disappointing from the Scandinavians over the weekend. Obviously Oberg started very very fast. Steve Steve was obviously on him last week and so did Victor Hovland. I think um yeah disappointed with their weekend efforts but I think in the sort of context of the RDER Cup they can probably take that as a a sign that they’re kind of raring to go. I do think that and maybe this is one to bear in mind in a couple of years time perhaps the Rder Cup preparation maybe overshadows the the preparation of some of those players who are in the in the field for Wentworth. I think Mroy, you can probably discount him because he obviously won the week before. Um he finished in great style, didn’t he? But um so much talk about Luke Donald’s team and team bonding and everything that um you sort of forget that there’s a golf tournament, a very valuable, very prestigious golf tournament to be won. It wasn’t a huge surprise actually that um none of the European sort of Ryder Cup men were in contention with the exception of Norin who perhaps had saw a bit of a free hit given that he’s not playing at that stage. Yeah, interesting point uh where it sits obviously in the Canada uh at Wentworth. So yeah, one to bear in mind next time the RDER Rder Cup comes around. Should we move over then to the PJ tour? Absolutely. Okay. And it was, as I mentioned at the top of the show, a very familiar face getting the job done here. Much as Joe mentioned, you know, Wentworth was a a team bonding, get together, whatever you want to call it about team Europe. Uh it was much the same at the Pro Core as well. They were all there and uh not the official captain, but our captain here on the sweet spot, the man that keeps the ship steady and just keeps on winning. Scotty Sheffller, one again, sixth win of the year, 19th win on the PJ tour. just an incredible golfer and without a doubt, you know, Maroy can sparkle in Ireland and win the Masters and what have you, but this is the the man of the moment and the best golf on the planet by some way as well. He keeps proving it, Joe. Yeah, certainly does. Um it’s just inevitable really, isn’t he, Sheffller? Like I looked at the leaderboard on Thursday, he s opened up with a 70, oh maybe this is the week when we don’t see the best of him. Maybe he’s thinking longer term. and then he just grinds his way into contention. He just doesn’t really do anything wrong. If he ever does do anything wrong, then he takes his medicine. He doesn’t compound errors. He’s quite happy to to take a bogey and take, you know, your trebles, your doubles out of play by doing the sensible thing. And he’s just supreme really from Ter Green. Like other players just can’t seem to replicate what he does. And it’s just over and over again. Magnificent goal from him. You have to feel for Ben Griffin of course um his RDER Cup colleague in a couple of weeks time played really well did um there was a bit pressure on Griffin obviously he was one of the names that was sort of mentioned who could have been potentially left off the team for Keegan Bradley um he’s gone out and proven that he deserves to be in that team again uh you know didn’t make that part on the last obviously he had a good chance to get get in the playoff going up the last hit a great second shot and then just couldn’t get up and down, but another great performance from him. You just you have to feel for him a bit. You like any of these guys that that come up against Sheffller, like they’re playing brilliant golf and they’re just getting beaten by a generational talent. Just a guy who, you know, you mentioned six wins this year. He’s not quite on a par with Tiger Woods, but he’s certainly the best we’ve seen since. Well, some of the numbers, um, his opening round of 70 ended a streak of 21 straight rounds in the 60s. Uh, he’s had 15 top eight finishes in a row. And he’s only finished at the top 20 twice this year, which was a tie for 25th at the Phoenix and a tie for 20 at the players. Uh, just remarkable, Joe. Like you say, just consistently onto the green and if he putts well, he wins. Yeah, that is it. Um, he doesn’t even need to putt well really. He just needs to putt sort of to an average level because his iron play is so good that he sets up more Bley chances than anyone else. And um his putting days sort of his bad putting days sort of seem like almost a thing of the past these days. He’s not having many of them now. He did miss a couple of short ones coming down the stretch, but when you give yourself that many chances, it doesn’t really matter. And when the putter is on, and I think the open was a prime example of this when he held virtually everything he looked at, he is unstoppable. He didn’t strike the ball that that well when he won the open, but found found lightning on the greens and when he’s like that, he’s he’s just can’t. There’s nothing you can do really, is there? We’ve got to mention one of the players that Steve did tip up, uh, Jackson Kyven, uh, who got himself into a place. I saw more than one book maker screaming about liabilities as well and it might have been a rare week in which they’re actually cheering on Scottish Sheffller, but this is a a talented young golfer who’s who’s destined for big things, right? Yeah, it certainly is. Um I think there are cautionary tales when it comes to these amateur stars that do so well. Nick Dunlap being one of them. like we we do have to avoid getting carried away like um you know done that went out once twice and and then shot whatever it was like 90 yard at Augusta and has been spraying the ball across like all over the place over the last year or so. Um you know he he’ll almost certainly find it and come good but um you have to be careful. Luke Clanton, another one who looked like he was destined for stardom and since turning professional, he’s had a bit of a slow start to his professional career. So, um, yeah, we have to take it slow with Ko and I don’t think, you know, we can start anointing him as the next Scottish shuffler just yet, but he’s an excellent excellent all round player. He doesn’t seem to do too much wrong, so that’s going to stand him in in goodstead. He doesn’t hit the ball miles, um, but he’s still kind of above average. He’s very accurate. He putts well. I think he’s got a great all round skill set that he’s going to contend at all sorts of courses really. He’s not just suited to a bombers track like Silverado. You you need to be uh fairly accurate there as well. Um I think we’ll expect to see bigger and better things from him next year, but I will just exercise caution when it comes to getting carried away. You you will probably see him in some events over the next few few weeks. may well win one but got to be careful about taking short prices about him because the book makers are really paying attention to him. Now one of the players I wanted to ask you about Joe is a favorite of mine who who showed glimpses was Ash Batia. Did you see much of him? Um yeah I did bit say he obviously went out sort of blazing on Sunday morning didn’t he? Um I didn’t catch loads of this tournament to be honest with you Dave. It was um it was quite a late finish for us wasn’t it? Yes, we did see a fair bit of Bir on Sunday night and um yeah, a player I really like as well. It’s good to see him playing well again. I you know, he would he would have been a player that would have been a prime candidate to have been on that American Rder Cup team at the start of the year. Uh former’s dipped, but when he does play well and I think back in his native California as well, um he’s certainly one to watch. I hopefully he can uh he can crack on again cuz a very very promising player doesn’t do a lot wrong when he’s uh sort of at the top of his game. All good stuff. Um Joe Erin on the side of caution. I’m a very fickle golf fan yearning for the next hype train. Uh and I’m ready to board it. So Kven’s the next superstar. That’s all you need to know from me. But Joe’s a lot more sensible than I. Um right, we have got a tournament to get stuck into. Just the one. We’ll call it the French Open. uh which is a different course this year. Joe, tell us about that to start with. Yeah, it certainly is. We’re at Golf Dome Leesh in uh near Paris. And um you’ll have to forgive some of my pronunciation in uh in this episode, Dave. Unfortunately, it’s all right. You don’t pretend. You don’t pretend like Mr. Palmer, so it’s fine. It’s not a problem. Well, I was sort of hoping Steve would do this week so we could test him out. But um obviously leg golf national the usual venue of this tournament um 30 of the last 32 French Opens have been staged at that course. Um it’s unavailable this year due to extensions on the Paris underground network. Um I’ve been to the Golf National Hour. went to the Rider Cup in 2018 and um it’s in the middle of nowhere so I’m not sure they must really be extending the underground network in France but um they the uh sort of the organizers the um the people in charge of that golf course they’ve taken that as a chance to renovate so um when it does come back and it’s on the schedule already for next year we’ll see a new look their golf national um where we are this week Staint Nom Leesh um is a venue has hosted DP World Tour or European Tour events in the past. Um, but this first one in more than 20 years, it’s hosted this event three times. The most recent of which came in 1982 when Sevo Bayeros won the second of his four French Opens. It also saves the uh the trophy Lanc from 1970 to 2003. Ratif Goulen won the most recent of those. Paul McGintley was in second that week and three editions of the Sevy Trophy. That’s the um team event that I think it’s now been replaced by the team cup um sort of GBN Ireland versus Continental Europe, the kind of rider cup factf finding tournament. Um the last three of those, the most recent of which was won by continental Europe. Um so recent form bit thin on the ground and the most recent form we’ve got to go on is the amateur event the Eisenhower trophy which was staged here in 2022 that was won by Italy. I think there’s seven players play who played in that tournament who are playing in this week’s event. So um it’s a short course St. on the protesh. Uh it’s par 71. It’s measuring just shy of 7,000 yards. Four par threes, 11 par fours, and three shortish getable par five. Uh it’s treeine track, Dave, but it’s not overly tight. So you certainly won’t want to be spraying. It drives all over the place, but um it’s not sort of cran cersier type restricting. The greens are small, they’re undulating, and they’re guarded by a lot of bunkers. So previous events at this course suggests that you need to be tidy off the tea, but also like the key attributes probably going to be approach play into those short into those small undulating greens and just finding the right spots on those. I like it. I want to see him golfing the golf ball, not just opening the shoulders and as you say spraying it everywhere. I did feel for you Joe when I saw the uh the the the tournament moved and I was thinking oh no like in my limited research I’m thinking we are very thin on the ground with some kind of course form here and what sort of player that we’re looking for. Um and just remind us what you’re going we’re going with approach play perhaps trying to find the small greens. Yeah, I think so. Um, as we say, not not loads of data to go on. I think the only kind of um statistically sort of measured event was that last Lancon trophy and that was 22 years ago. And I think maybe Darren Fickart was in the field that week, but there won’t be many that played in it. Um, yeah, tidy operators. I think generally, um, you know, you’re not going to have to be a bomber here to, uh, to make birdies. I found deep bunkers and heavily sloped greens is what I managed to come across here. But this is a um a quite a notable tournament as well, Joe. I found it’s the oldest national open in continental Europe, dating back to 1906. So, there’s plenty of history here, just not on this golf course. Uh yeah, but sometimes that presents uh different opportunities. It’s a different angle to look at. Like you can sometimes fall into the trap of saying, “Oh, we know what works at least now or you know, the same with Wentworth last week. We know what type of player it takes to win there.” Um this gives us a a different angle to go at. So um as much as uh I can sort of wake up on Monday morning and find these new courses a bit of a pain. Um sometimes they do give you a kind of different perspective on what you’re looking at. Well, if anyone has out there has been able to find anything more than Joe, which I find unlikely, get stuck into the comments below. Have you been there? Maybe someone out there has played this course and let us know your thoughts uh in the comments below. It is of course the RDER Cup next week. Uh so the market has a slightly different look to it. Uh and we have got Harry Hall with most book makers heading the market around about 10 to 11 uh 10 to1 11 to1 alongside Cory Connors Adrian Sadier is up there again Jordan Smith Mimu Lee Wrightton’s up there. Aora Ryan Fox Thomas Dietri Victor Perez all of the big guns are missing understandably Joe they’re you know limbering up for for the RDER Cup. um a a proper market this one where double figures is like sort of 11 to1 the field. Yeah. Yeah. It’s wide open. Um we’ll probably you know touch on the the market leaders um a bit later but um being ahead of the market then. No certainly not. I fancy a few much bigger prices this week. I think um you know we haven’t got genuine stars in this field. So there’s there might be a chance to unear some uh some big price gems. Yes my man. Let’s do it then. Right. Who is the uh the main bet then, Joe? Oh, well, the best bet is Martin Kubra, who’s been very well backed over the last sort of 24 hours since the the market came out. Um Martin Kver found top form at the perfect time at Wentworth last week. He’d been on a run and missed cuts, but he produced a solid iron display at the Irish Open. Missed the cut that week, but was very positive on his approaches. Then he finished 13th last week on his Wentworth debut. Closed with a Sunday 67. He was sort of I was sort of watching it uh Sunday morning with my uh cup of coffee and he was on the leaderboard and I was thinking right here we go. Perfect timing for Martin Kubra with this week in mind. This is his first professional start in the open to France or French Open. Uh he finished 14th at the Golf National as an amateur when he was 19 years old in 20 uh sorry not 14th 45th in 2022. That was a solid enough effort. He’s obviously become a much much more uh recognizable name on leaderboards over the last couple of years. Um as much as uh you know this event is known for their golf national know Libertesh better. He was part of that threeman French team at the Eisenhower Trophy. Then he won, and you’ll have to excuse my pronunc pronunciation on this one, Dave, the Gnu Eio Trophy as part of a team from KHN in 2023 at the course. So Moover, one of the more inexperienced DP World Tour golfers, but probably more experienced than just about anyone else on this golf course. He’s had an excellent year. He won the Turkish Open treelined track in May and finished runner up at the Italian Open at another sort of similar venue. Both results were sort of underpinned by very solid iron displays. I think he’ll need to do something similar this week. Uh he ranks ninth on the DP World Tour this season in strokes getting approach and fifth in out of those who are playing in this week’s field. And it’s a big couple of uh couple of months coming up for Martin Coover. He’s 10th on the race to Dubai. There’s very good chance that he can be playing on the PJ tour next season. Um, you know, how he get on the PJ tour, I don’t know. He’s he’s a sort of shorter hitter. Maybe not best suited to American courses, but there’s a great chance for a very promising young player to lock up his PJ tour playing rights. If he wins this week, that’s that’s pretty much it in the bag, I’d imagine. Um, very promising young Frenchman. No Frenchman has won the national open since Thomas Levy in 2011. I think Hoover is a great bet to end that drought this week. I like it. Patriotic, one of one of their own. Uh be a popular winner. We’re expecting big crowds, Joe. I can’t remember what sort of uh crowds these French Opens get. Yeah, they’re usually very well attended. I I know. Um, obviously at the Olympics at the Golf National last year as well. There was a lot of people there who perhaps weren’t necessarily golf fans before who maybe have been tempted back this year as well. We we’ll probably find out on sort of over the weekend, but very well attended normally. I’m can’t say I know how well this course is sort of set up for spectators. Obviously, their golf national is sort of purpose built. There’s lots of big banks that you can sort of stand on and get a good view of the action there. But um yeah, usually a very well attended event. Well, cheering on one of their own. That’d be nice. Uh right, Joe, as remiss of me to ask how many players are actually tipping for this event. I’ve got five this week. Oh, I like it. Right. And that by the sounds of it is the shortest price one. So, let’s kick on then. Who’s the next best? Well, there’s one that’s slightly shorter, but I just really fancy Hoover out of the two of them. But the next best is one of our own, and that’s Daniel Brown, who I think he can bounce back from last week’s miscut at Wentworth. He didn’t drive the ball that well last week, Brown, but um he’s he’s not played well in two previous spins at Wentworth. I think we can probably throw that one out. Um just we can forgive him that one. St. Non Libertesh looks a more suitable test for a guy who is usually a pretty solid driver. He’s very accurate off the tea and he was in excellent form prior to missing the BMW PGA Cup. Brown won the BMW International Open in uh July at the beginning of July and his other win on the DP World Tour came in 2023 in Northern Ireland at Gal Castle. Uh that’s another tight treelined track where he won the World Invitational. Um Brown took a little break after the open. He missed a cut in the uh Open, but then he returned and finished 19th at the Nexo Championship, eighth at the Belelfrey in another sort of treeine venue and ninth at the Irish Open. Two of his strongest iron performances of the season came in the Nexo and the Irish Open. He was particularly good at the K club where he ranked sixth in strokes gained approach. I think he had the like sort of Maroy, Shane Lowry ahead of him and two or three others and he’s had a really solid year overall. I I used to think Brown was a bit of a kind of um he wasn’t the most consistent sort, but he’s had a really consistent season despite a few injuries that sort of held him back in the spring. He’s had five top 10 finishes in 16 events, including a playoff loss in Bahrain as well. Um he seems healthy now and he’s developed into a really reliable performer. I wouldn’t worry about last week. He’s been in excellent form for the last month or so. Nice solid eachway play there. Right, that is the next best. Uh, and you’ve promised us big prices now, Joe. So, who else we got? Yeah. So, the next one is Gido Miglotsi. Um, edigmatic performer, a brilliant one when he is on song. Um, good enough to finish fourth in the US Open in 2021. And um you must remember Dave as Steve always says um it finest hour came in this event or one of his certainly one of his finest hours came in this event in 2022 when he shot a Sunday 62 at the Golf National to take the title. That included the shot I think was voted shot of the year on the DP World Tour. A hugely gutsy long iron over the water on the 18th hole to set up a birdie. um knocked in his part, signed for a 62 and won the title. Now he has a habit of going quiet for long spells, but he’s shown shown his form, his flickers of form over the last month or so. He was 13th at Cranier at the end of August in the European Masters, 24th for Wentworth last week. Not, you know, not a hugely high up finish, but a very eye-catching one because he led the field with his irons. And you think how many good iron players like worldclass iron players were in the field last week and Gido Miglotsi performed better with his irions than anyone else. Um didn’t putt very well. Putter went cold on him which is not obviously not ideal but he’d been putting well over the the sort of previous weeks. He put well at CR when he finished 13th. I think if he can marry it all together then he’s got an excellent chance of contending here. And even though he’s got a bit of a reputation as a bit of a a loose slugger occasionally, Migloti, when he’s in control of his ball, these are the sort of courses where he tends to play really well. He’s won at a lot of treeine venues. He won the Kenya Open, Cararan Country Club. That’s a really really tight track. He won the Belgian knockout at Ring Vven in 20 both of those wins came in 2019. And um it was only last year he won the the international in the KM the KM open at the international rather. Uh so yeah very good form on sort of shorter treeine tracks similar to what he’s going to get this week. I think he likes these sort of places where he can club down and he doesn’t have to get the big dog out and sort of uh you know be too aggressive. He can he can be sensible this week. He can plot his way around. Um he also lost a playoff at the Bellfrey in 2021 when he was beaten by Richard Bland. Um who himself is obviously someone who plots his way around golf course is very well equipped for this venue. I think Migloti very excited about him this week. What a beautiful word. Enigmatic as well. Great way to describe him. Joe and steady on that. You may remember because there was a lovely comment on last week’s show where Steve had gone back god knows how far and it was written on my face that I don’t even remember what I had for breakfast let alone what Steve tipped like 10 years ago. So steady on my man. All right, steady on. Uh right, three players down, two more to come. Who else you got for us Joe? Well I’d say first of all Dave enigmatic usually followed by Italian or Frenchman I think. Um and I’ve got another Frenchman although I’m not sure he’s a he’s hugely enigmatic. He seems like quite a dependable sort. And that’s Tom Veant. Um who who uh would have been a bit of a surprise name when he was on the Wentworth leaderboard last week, but he made a red-hot start in what was a obviously a star-studded field. He opened up with a 64 to tie only sort of only Ludvigo Berg for the first round round lead. So illustrious company there. Fell back on the Friday with a with a second round 75, but he was solid over the weekend. and he shot 6771 to finish in a share of 31st on what was his Wentworth debut. Like Migle, like Hoover, another strong performance with the Irons, he actually um knows this venue well as he was part of that freeman French team alongside Mancouver in the Eisenhower Trophy. The other member of the team, Julian Sal, I think uh he’s also playing this week. decent challenge to a player who sort could be worth a look at big eachway odds. But Tom Veon, he actually outscored Coover in the two rounds they played at Staint Nashesh and he finished seventh in the individual standings of the Eisenhower Trophy. Funnily enough, he tied Lud Ludviggoberg on that occasion as well. They were both tied seventh in the individual leaderboard. Very tidy operator. Not the longest driver, but he’s shown enough in the last month to suggest he can go well again. I think he’s he’s made four straight cuts and um probably the most promising of them came last week. Knows the venue as well as anyone in the field perhaps Barra. Nice. Loads of markets out there. Uh SBK you’re offering loads of markets but there’s, you know, top 20s to make the cut. You know, he feels like that sort of player for for a bet like that. Uh yeah, I I think uh certainly if you got someone that knows the course well, then you’ve got a kind of leg up on everyone else in the field. And there aren’t going to be loads. There’s a couple of players um that are attached to the the golf course, but um a few of them like even some of the French players, I think sort of Antoine Rosner says he’s never played here and he lives in Paris. So um yeah, there’s plenty of um there’s not going to be many that that know their way around here. Yeah. Well, I listen, I like your style going for big prices because it does feel like that sort of week. Uh we’ve got one more player to come. Who else are we liking this week? Yeah, we’ve got a big price about a a class act when he’s at his best and that’s Raphael Cabrera Beo. He’s the only one of the five in this field who didn’t play last week. I think he didn’t get in. He was about 10th 11th down on the list of alternates at Wentworth. previously seen producing his best result in more than three years when he finished third at the Irish Open two weeks ago beaten only by Rory Mroy and Yokim Lagrren on that occasion two shots off of the playoffs. So a really encouraging performance for a player who at his best was a world number 16 fourtime DP World Tour winner, former Ryder Cup player and he’s been steadily finding form over the last few few months. Um, you know, I don’t think the Irish Open can necessarily be called a flash in the pan. He’s just been very solid. His last nine European events have resulted in eight made cuts and in seven of the events he’s finished 31st or better. So, he’s really sort of finding something uh without really contending until last time out um where once again he produced an excellent uh an excellent approach uh play display. Um only Oliver Lindell who you know rock solid form from Oliver Lindell at the moment only he struck his irions better than Raphael Cabrao at his best he’s a very tidy all round player does did just about everything well when he was at his peak I mean that was a long while ago but I think we can look at the encouraging signs from Cabrera Beo over the last last few months and think that he could be close and actually he’s got a bit of form in this event is at a different course obviously that he’s got two top five finishes in the French Open, likes playing in France. Good chance he can build on that Irish Open effort. He’s had a few mentions on this show in recent months as well. I don’t know if you’re aware of that, Joe. So, Steve’s not here this week, but it’s not a million that he would have been in his team. I think he’s definitely a player that’s been on the radar and just going along quite nicely, hasn’t he? Yeah, certainly is. and um he’s sort of he’s sort of the right age that maybe he’s taking inspiration from Alex Norin over the last few weeks like um appears I guess they’ve been around for a long time and um Noran can sort of find top gear then perhaps Cabrera Beao will look in and think well I’m certainly capable of doing that as well both former Ryder Cup men as well. Well that is Joe’s team. We got some big price uh players in there. Let us know in the comments below who you’re backing. Thoughts on Joe’s selections. I want to pick Joe’s brains on some of those at the top of the market. We’ll start with Harry Hall then, who with most bookmakers is just about favorite. Yeah, I think you obviously have to respect Harry Hall. He’s just been so solid over the last few months really. And um I just think do you want to be on him when he’s winning at sort of 10 to one? I mean, if you could guarantee he was going to win that at that price, you would do, but um he was always going to be up there at the top of the betting without the kind of the top top European players. I suspect he’ll go well again. He’s one of these players that doesn’t really do a lot wrong, but it just wasn’t for me at the price really. A similar price is Cory Connors. Yeah, I think Connors as well. This is a very very suitable course for him. He actually struck the ball well despite missing the cut at Wentworth last week. But I mean, is Cory Connors the sort of player you want to be taking at those odds? A guy that has won sort of he’s barely won over the last decade despite being a rock solid ball striker. I I do I did like Connors, but when I saw the prices, I just you can’t pull the trigger on on Connors at that sort of price, I don’t think. Yeah. just my own view was that the the front two probably a couple of points shorter than they probably should have been if this would been 16 18 even 20 to1 on the field. I think you just go yeah it’s wide open. Uh Sadier next in Joe we spoke a little bit about him at the the top of the show um obviously in his homeland this week. Can he get the job done? Um yeah I did like Sadia. I just think it’s so draining those first the Irish Open sort of implosion and then just playing better but coming so close and having it sort of snatched away from you at Wentworth. Yes. Um yeah, he’s got a huge chance if he arrives in the same form and he will have huge support. I suspect he’s done himself plenty of favors by playing well over the last couple of weeks. Like more people will know who he is and more people will be will be cheering him on in Paris. But um I just think it’s such a such a draining thing to do over the course of two weeks when you’re searching for that win. Um I was happy to leave him. I sort of I was surprised he opened up as big as he did. Um a few people had nibbled the prices and he’s certainly come in a bit um over the last 24 hours or so. Any thoughts on anyone else anywhere near the top of the market, Joe? Uh uh not particularly Dave. Um no I mean Minimu Lee he was up there doesn’t seem like a course for him. He improved at Wentworth um after a very kind of lean spell after making his PJ tour breakthrough. Um but is it a bit tight, a bit claustrophobic for someone who’s not known for sort of controlling their ball off the tea? um very very good player obviously and capable of magic around the greens but um I was happy to leave most of the guys at the top of the market really. That’s cool. A team of five to go to war with. Uh only one tournament this week and of course our friends at SBK every week give you a winnings boost on one of the tournaments. So it has to be at the French Open. 20% winnings boost. So whether you’re following Joe with one of his big prize selections, 20% on some of them would be lovely or trying to find the winner yourself. If you are able to do so with SBK, you will get a 20% winnings boost on top of your returns. Terms of condition, of course, on the website, right? Uh before we remind ourselves of who Joe’s tipping this week, I’ve got to pick your brains, Joe, because of course the Rder Cup is next week. Um, first and foremost, uh, I’m sure you’ll be covering it in your column. Just remind everyone where they can read your thoughts every week. Uh, yeah. So, I am the, uh, resident tipster for the racing and football outlook, which is, um, out every Tuesday in All Good News Agents, and it’s also available as part of the racing post digital edition on Monday evenings. Yes, very shrewd. There’s a obviously a very sharp ground tipster in that publication as well. Uh so it’s must buy every week. Um I’m sure you’ll be boxing off the RDER Cup uh next week, Joe, but what are your early thoughts? Obviously excitement is the obvious one. Uh we just want it to start now, right? Yeah, absolutely. I’m buzzing through it. I was uh um tuning in to all the social media clips of the European boys getting their their reps in yesterday at that page. Great to see Straa is back as part of the team. Um, so I mean there was a bit of talk about, you know, could Norm potentially replace him if he wasn’t available, but seems like Straer’s going to be ready to go. Hopefully uh he can find sort of top gear over the next week or so. Um, yeah, I’m I’m buzzing for it. The Ryder Cup is the event that sort of got me into golf um sort of 20 odd years ago really, Dave. So um means a lot to me. As for who will who will win, it’s very tight as the odds will tell you. Are you someone Joe who kind of goes down the the trends route or have you just someone who just gets a feel for it and goes your opinion? U I’d certainly go with feel for the Ryder Cup, but I think um you know the in terms of the feel I guess it’s all been going uh Europe’s way over the last few months and I think perhaps the the balance is shifting back slightly in favor of the Americans now. I think um as Steve’s mentioned the decision Bradley to take himself out of the conversation was probably the right one. Yeah. Um and I do think that possibly the odds have shifted too far in towards Europe over the last last sort of few months. Um it is very difficult to win an away rider cup. Um you only have to look at the results over the last two or three decades to see that and I think it’ll be tight. I don’t know whether I’ll even go for a kind of tournament sort of winner tip or whether it’ll just be correct scores around the kind of 14 and a half 13 and a half either way. It’ll be something around that. I’d imagine I think it’ll be a very close contest. I don’t think we’re looking at a Whistling Straits or a Rome. Um expect it to be as tight as the odds suggest it is. Drama. Just give me some drama. That’s all I’m I’m thirsty for, Joe. good golf and some drama. Uh we will be back next week to preview it. We got Ryder Cup special for you. So keep your eyes peeled on the Racing Post YouTube channel, myself and our wandering Steve Palmer, wherever he is darts in Portugal and what or not he’s getting up to. He Steve will be back next week, but Joe is here right here right now and I’m sure he’ll give you a good steer. Um five in his team for the French Open. Joe, remind us who they are. Martin Kubra, Daniel Brown, Gido Miglotsi, Tom Veant, and Raphael Cabrera Beo. Love it. Yes. Uh, Cabera Bar definitely carrying my money this week at massive, massive prices. Joe, it’s been an absolute pleasure to see you and hear from you once again. A very able deputy stepping in. Um, are you going to be able to be across this? We’ve only got one golf tournament, right? So, there’s no excuses this week. We should be able to watch every single ball being struck. Oh yeah, absolutely. I’ll be tuning in from uh Tuesday to Sunday. Tuesday to Sunday. That won’t be any good, will it? Thursday to Sunday this week. Not got much planned this weekend. So get get the prep in for the RDER Cup. We’ll read your thoughts in next week’s racing and football outlook as well. You out there do get involved with us here on the show. Jump in the comments, let us know your thoughts. Early Rder Cup thoughts are welcome as well, as well as uh the French Open stuff. And if you just want to eulogize about Scottish Sheffer in the comments, feel free to cuz he is on fire at the moment. He’ll be leading the USA team next week. Gamble responsibly, enjoy the golf, and we’ll see you next time. [Music]